Firemen Watch House Burn Down

again i can tell you from personal experience

a journalist who gets forcefully escorted off the premises is going to write a very different report than one who was just given the interview

it may be worth reading between the lines a bit

That wont work. You can't expect a guy to pay thousands who didn't pay 75. Especially after his home burns down lol. And putting him in jail will just cost the paying citizens even more. He is just going to declarce bankruptcy anyways. Happens all the time with people who don't get health insurance and get really sick but can't be completely refused treatment. Instead you just set a precident for helping without paying a fee which other people will jump on

Idk how it is over there but over here we have the right to refuse most services. Especially on non-compliant non paying people.

Also mind you this was the cities FD. He was outside the city. There are pros and cons to doing this. You get out of things but you get less of the city services that you didn't pay for

And I really doubt it was their choice to escort them off the scene. Lowly firemens aren't going to be allowed to speak to the press on something like this without coaching first lol

Cmon you don't really think he would've paid anything? People will say anything under duress

You've got a point, but recall that he offered the FD whatever amount they wanted so that they would put the fire out.

Sounds to me like he was and would be willing to drop some money for them to help.

Now I know what your going to say, "well if he was willing to pay for it when it happened why not just pay it to begin with"

I agree that he should have just paid it so that he could get his service, but the fact that they denied him the service even after he pleaded with them with money doesn't really make them sound like very good people.

as someone who lives in the same state and in an outside city limits county area, i don't feel bad for this guy one bit. besides all the reasons given in the thread for why he's stupid. burning trash is illegal in TN. if the fire had started from him cooking meth or crack in his house would you feel different? people really need to read all relevant info or at least the thread before posting. the guy's area voted against adding taxes to pay for fire coverage. meaning as a community they opposed it. the guy had the option to cover his ***, but he decided it was better to take a chance.

Also this.

I'd like to think that firefighters have the balls to stand on principle and risk their jobs to help someone else. Especially when they are standing a couple hundred feet away with all the tools to do so.

I thought that all fireman had to be sworn in like all civil servants , i.e a Police officer and swear an oath to protect and to serve or something like that... Point is fire or not.. they should have done their job.


Losers...milkin' the taxpayer, and using the power of veto, they were going about it the wrong way.

as someone who lives in the same state and in an outside city limits county area, i don't feel bad for this guy one bit. besides all the reasons given in the thread for why he's stupid. burning trash is illegal in TN. if the fire had started from him cooking meth or crack in his house would you feel different? people really need to read all relevant info or at least the thread before posting. the guy's area voted against adding taxes to pay for fire coverage. meaning as a community they opposed it. the guy had the option to cover his ***, but he decided it was better to take a chance.

Can't even watch the second vid, there, Glenn Beck makes me rage so hard... *** idiot.

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/ondeadline/post/2010/10/firefighters-watch-home-burn-down-because-owner-hadnt-paid-75-city-fee/1

The mayor of South Fulton, Tenn., stands by his town's policy that led firefighters to watch from the sidelines while a man's county home burned to the ground because he hadn't paid the $75 fire protection fee, WPSD reports.

Gene Cranick, owner of the now-gutted house in Obion County, says he called 911 and offered to pay whatever it would take to get the firefighters to act, but they said they wouldn't do anything, WPSD reports.

They only responded when it looked as if the fire might spread to the house of a neighbor who had paid the fee.

"I thought they'd come out and put it out, even if you hadn't paid your $75, but I was wrong," Cranick tells the Paducah, Ky., TV station.

Mayor David Crocker says that's just city policy.

"Anybody that's not in the city of South Fulton, it's a service we offer, either they accept it or they don't," Crocker says.

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I love this story and the debate it provokes. Long story short Guy doesn't live within the city/town boundaries, he lives out in the middle of nowhere. The city/town he lives closest too offers fire service to this area for a nominal fee of 75 dollars a year. He didn't pay it, his house catches fire, nobody comes to save him because he didnt pay the mandatory fee. Now people are pissed off at the town.

What's the problem???

Discuss

ITS ANOTHER DAY AMERICA, YOU ALL HAVE LEARNT A LESSON TODAY, YOU MUST PAY UP!!! $75.00 OR GTFO! <.>

I'm sorry, its pathetic :( I'm so glad England nor other countries have rules like that its stupid. We're all humans, but I (one man) will not make a difference to America's rules. All I can say is, Sorry. Sorry that your country is *** up, just sorry.........

/CRY

you guys are funny


Ok increase Taxes by 5% for everyone so fire DPT can hire enough people and purchase all the stuff they need.

See how fast people will start bitching about the GVT increasing taxes for this BS reason. The municipality is right, pay the fee or gtfo. Nothing is free in life.

Because burning trash is just as bad as making meth.

Yeah, I have the same issue with him. xD

He's ok when he's not all 'OMFG the government is against us! REPENT YOUR SINS TO GOD NOW!!!'

When is he NOT like that? xD

I second the "I'm glad the option to let my house burn down isn't available in my country" motion, minus the america is *** up part. Watching firemen watching my house burn to the ground would probably be kinda traumatic.

Part of me worries the homeowner might go looney tunes on someone. :(

I'd more worry about the township doing that, I recall hearing about some violence that happened against some of the firemen at their station because of this.

Not the firemen's fault, but when things are arranged in odd ways, ***happens. I'm sure if your house burnt down and the firemen came out just to make sure the yard next door was ok and say "loltoobad" to your face, I'm sure you'd be pissed, too. The firemen could have stepped forward and done what was right instead of what they were told.

Right to who? what if they did and got fired for disobeying orders? what if they lost their job over it and couldnt feed their kids anymore? is that right?